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Spencer Coggs
2012 - Present
2028
13
Spencer Coggs is the Milwaukee City Treasurer in Wisconsin. Coggs assumed office in 2012. Coggs' current term ends in 2028.
Coggs ran for re-election for Milwaukee City Treasurer in Wisconsin. Coggs won in the general election on April 2, 2024.
Coggs is a former Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Senate. He represented District 6 from 2003 to 2013. He was also an Assemblyman on the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1982 to 2002.
Biography
Coggs' professional experiences include postal worker, industrial printer, and health officer with the City of Milwaukee.
Coggs earned an AA from Milwaukee Area Technical College and a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He is married and has two children.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: City elections in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2024)
General election
General election for Milwaukee City Treasurer
Incumbent Spencer Coggs won election in the general election for Milwaukee City Treasurer on April 2, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Spencer Coggs (Nonpartisan) | 98.5 | 59,576 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.5 | 910 | ||
| Total votes: 60,486 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Spencer Coggs advanced from the primary for Milwaukee City Treasurer.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Coggs in this election.
2020
See also: City elections in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2020)
General election
General election for Milwaukee City Treasurer
Incumbent Spencer Coggs defeated Brandon Methu in the general election for Milwaukee City Treasurer on April 7, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Spencer Coggs (Nonpartisan) | 66.8 | 55,722 |
 | Brandon Methu (Nonpartisan) | 32.9 | 27,450 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 248 | ||
| Total votes: 83,420 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Spencer Coggs won re-election to the Wisconsin State Senate, District 6. He ran unopposed.[2]
Spencer Coggs raised $17,727 for his campaign.[3]
| Wisconsin State Senate, District 6 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
 Spencer Coggs (D)
|
60,606 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Spencer Coggs did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Spencer Coggs did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Noteworthy events
Denial of allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination
Jana Williams, an aide to Coggs when he was a state senator, filed a sexual harassment complaint against Coggs in 2009 and a complaint that she was discriminated against based on her race and sex in 2011 after losing her job. The Wisconsin State Journal reported that in 2015 an administrative law judge ruled there was probable cause that Coggs harassed and discriminated against Williams, and the state legislature settled the case for $75,000. The judge wrote that Coggs had made comments about Williams' cleavage and her race.[4][5][6]
Coggs responded, "In over 35 years in public office, at no time have I engaged in or condoned behavior which could be viewed as harassment or discrimination with respect to the complainant or anyone else who has worked for me." He said he did not have a part in the settlement and that Williams had lost her job because the position she held was eliminated.[4]
State legislative tenure
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Coggs served on these committees:
- Insurance and Housing
- Labor, Public Safety, and Urban Affairs
- Public Health, Human Services, and Revenue
- Transportation and Elections
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Coggs served on these committees:
- Labor, Elections and Urban Affairs Committee, Wisconsin Senate, Chair
- Public Health, Senior Issues, Long-Term Care, and Job Creation Committee, Wisconsin Senate
- Veterans and Military Affairs, Biotechnology, and Financial Institutions Committee, Wisconsin Senate
- Joint Legislative Council
- Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations, Chair
Legislative walkout
Coggs and the 13 other Democratic senators participated in a legislative walkout on February 17, 2011, in opposition to Assembly Bill 11 - a Republican-sponsored bill aimed at limiting collective bargaining rights, compensation and fringe benefits of public employees.[7] The Democratic departure left the Senate one vote shy of a quorum. Reports confirmed the senators fled to a hotel in Rockford, Illinois.[8] State police were dispatched by Governor Scott Walker (R) to retrieve the senators, but were unable to cross state lines.[9] The 14 state senators who left the state are being described as the "Badger 14" or "Fab 14."[10][11]
On February 22, speaking from the basement of an Illinois hotel, Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller provided the minority response to Gov. Scott Walker, saying, "The governor has the tools at his disposal to put this issue to an end. As soon as he is willing to take a compromise, we will go back to work in an instant." Miller stated that the legislators payed for the trip themselves, and that no taxpayer money was spent.[12]
Walker called on the Democratic senators to return to the state by March 1 in order to vote to restructure the state's debt. If they did not, he stated he may have to start cutting state jobs, saying:
It’s not just a number, it’s not just a budget, it’s ultimately a real person with a real family, so I’m going to push that back as far as I can. We’ve got to have real numbers to balance the budget to avoid layoffs. My hope is those 14 state senators … realize that in the end, it’s much better off to avoid those cuts, it’s much better off to avoid the most dire consequences that will come if we don’t pass this bill.[13]
The Democratic senators said they would not return until the governor was willing to compromise on the budget-repair bill.
Democrats threatened with arrest
Republicans passed a unanimous resolution on March 3 finding the missing legislators in contempt and threatening them with arrest. It gave them until 4 p.m. to return or the sergeant-at-arms was ordered to take "any and all necessary steps, with or without force, and with or without the assistance of law enforcement, by warrant or other legal process, as he may deem necessary in order to bring that senator to the Senate chambers."[14]
The constitutionality of that resolution was unclear, however, as the Wisconsin Constitution only allows for the arrest of legislators while in session if they are suspected of committing a felony, treason, or breach of the peace. Jim Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, said the resolution was an "unreasonable abuse of police power."[15]
Sen. Jon Erpenbach provided the Democratic response, stating, "All 14 of us remain in Illinois, very strong in our convictions. Issuing arrest warrants at 4 p.m. isn't going to solve the problem. This is a debate about protection of the middle class in Wisconsin; that is what the Republicans should be focusing on."[14]
The move by Republicans came the day after they issued fines of $100 a day for not showing up at the Capitol, along with taking away parking spaces.[16] The week before Republicans also passed a rule suspending direct-deposit of paychecks. Sen. Erpenbach found a way around this by granting power of attorney to two of his aides, giving them power to, among other things, pick up his paycheck. In the end Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald mailed the check to Erpenbach.[17]
Meeting/possible compromises
On March 7, Democratic leader Sen. Mark Miller sent a letter to the governor and senate majority leader asking for a meeting near the Wisconsin-Illinois border to restart talks on the collective bargaining issue.[18] Gov. Walker responded at a press conference, calling the letter "ridiculous," and saying that several meetings between the two sides have taken place, but that Miller has stood in the way of a compromise.[19]
Sen. Chris Larson said, "Dems will return when collective bargaining is off the table. That could be soon based on the growing public opposition to the bill and the recall efforts against Republicans."[20]
On March 8, the Governor's office released an email exchange dated March 6 between Eric Schutt, Walker's deputy chief of staff, and Democratic Senators Cullen and Jauch. The exchange discusses possible compromises on the bill, including allowing unions to bargain for wages beyond inflation rates, permitting collective-bargaining on certain economic issues, allowing public workers to collectively bargain workplace safety issues, and limiting collective bargaining agreements to 2 years or less.[21]
Senate passes bill
On March 9, the Wisconsin State Senate approved Act 10, which included changes to the collective bargaining rights of public-sector workers. Republicans passed the bill by a vote of 18-1, with Sen. Dale Schultz (R) voting against it. Democrats, who had absented themselves in order to prevent the Senate from meeting its 20-member quorum, were not present to vote on the legislation.[22]
On May 26, 2011, Dane County Court Judge Maryann Sumi issued a stay against the law on the grounds that the legislative process had violated the state's open meetings law. The state Departments of Justice and Department of Administration appealed the decision to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. On June 14, the Wisconsin Supreme Court overruled the lower court's decision, stating it "exceeded its jurisdiction, invaded the legislature’s constitutional powers...and erred in enjoining the publication and further implementation of the act."[22]
Recall campaigns
In the wake of events surrounding the bill, both Democratic and Republican senators were targeted by active recall campaigns. Recall sponsors filed signatures on petitions targeting 6 Republican state senators and 3 Democratic state senators. Challenges were filed in all 9 of those campaigns, and the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board approved the six campaigns against Republicans at meetings on May 23 and May 31, and approved the three campaigns against Democrats on June 8. Democrats held onto the 30th District seat on July 19. Republicans lost two seats in the August 9 recalls, but held onto four. Two incumbent Democrats successfully retained their seats on August 16.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Project Vote Smart - Senator Coggs
- ↑ Wisconsin State Election Results, 2008
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 campaign contributions," accessed December 29, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wisconsin State Journal, "Legislature paid $75K to fired staff member who complained of sexual harassment, discrimination," December 5, 2017
- ↑ WisPolitics, "Four sexual harassment complaints filed in Legislature over past 15 years," December 4, 2017
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Former Coggs aide says staffers worked on his campaign," February 1, 2012
- ↑ Wisconsin.gov, ASSEMBLY BILL 11, accessed 17 Feb. 2011
- ↑ Green Bay Press Gazette, Wisconsin Democrats flee to Clock Tower Hotel in Rockford, Ill., to block anti-union bill, 17 Feb. 2011
- ↑ Bloomberg Businessweek, Senator: Missing Wis. lawmakers left the state, 17 Feb. 2011
- ↑ The Badger 14
- ↑ Fab 14 Facebook page
- ↑ WISN, "State Sen. Minority Leader Responds to Walker," February 22, 2010
- ↑ Christian Science Monitor, "Wisconsin governor to missing senators: Come back or I'll lay off 1,500," February 28, 2011
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Wall Street Journal, "Pressure Mounts on Absent Democrats in Wisconsin, Indiana," March 3, 2011
- ↑ Wisconsin State Journal, "Senate orders arrest of missing Democrats," March 3, 2011
- ↑ My Fox Chicago, "Wisconsin GOP Slaps Missing Dems With $100 Daily Fines," March 2, 2011 (dead link)
- ↑ Talking Points Memo, "AWOL Wisconsin Dem Beats The System, Gets His Paycheck Mailed To Him," March 3, 2011
- ↑ New York Times, "Wisconsin Democrats Urge New Talks on Labor Bill," March 7, 2011
- ↑ CNN, "Wisconsin gov: Democratic senator's border meeting idea 'ridiculous'," March 7, 2011
- ↑ Talking Points Memo, "Wisconsin Dems Deny WSJ Report Of Imminent Return," March 6, 2011
- ↑ CNN, "E-mails: Wisconsin governor offers concessions on budget bill," March 8, 2011
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Wisconsin State Journal, "Front pages from historic Scott Walker protests," February 11, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Milwaukee City Treasurer 2012-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Wisconsin State Senate District 6 2003-2013 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Wisconsin State Assembly 1983-2003 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||||||||
